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If you like this article, please rate it. Comments are welcome :)[/vc_cta][/vc_column][/vc_row]Those who have read books on self-development have most probably encountered recommendations to pronounce (in thought or out loud) short positive statements, known as affirmations. Some examples include:
“I am already healthy”
“I have a lot of money”
“I am liked easily by others”
In books and online you can find hundreds of further examples. Such as here (the title itself already says it all – “Affirmations That Can Transform Your Life”): https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-16059/31-affirmations-that-can-transform-your-life.html
Whereas here are the results of a study conducted by scientists from two Canadian universities:
In the study quoted above, a number of people were divided into 2 groups (based on preliminary testing) – a group with low self-esteem, and a group with high self-esteem. Each group repeated the statement “I am a lovable person”. As a result, the members of the group with high self-esteem felt slightly better after such repetitions; however, the members of the group with low self-esteem began to feel worse!
It turned out that the affirmations did not work for those who needed them. Those who have high self-esteem do not, generally speaking, require such affirmations. Why did this happen?
The answer is quite simple. The people with low self-esteem did not believe that they were good, and every repetition reminded them of it. In fact, they focused on negative emotions and shortfalls. This paradoxical situation is characteristic of most affirmations that are aimed at eliminating the lack of something.
As an example, let us consider the affirmation “I am already healthy”. It seems like an excellent affirmation. But a healthy person does not think about health. Only sick people think about health. Therefore, this affirmation directs our attention to a negative experience, i.e. not at all where it needs to be. Similarly, when it comes to money – any affirmation along the lines of “I have a lot of money” is doomed in advance, because a rich man would never say such a thing. Because if a person has money, he or she does not think about it.
Both of these affirmations clearly show that those who use them lack health or money. Therefore, they are likely to lead to a worsening of the situation, which was what was shown by the study.
In the book “The Law of Attraction”, Esther Hicks recommends the use of more cunning affirmations, for example, “how good it would be if I had money” or “I am on my way to gaining health”. This is a better option – at least you can believe it – but the essence of the problem remains, which is to say, a healthy person does not think about health, and a rich person does not think about money. I have not come across studies which deal with this type of affirmations, but I do believe that they will not worsen the situation – and yet they will not improve it, either.
What do people who have money and health think about? They think about how to spend them!! It is only logical – if they are already present, why think about how to acquire them? In the case of money, one would think about how to invest it and what can be bought with it. In the case of health – how to spend that health on the exact way of life one wants to lead (be it an ascent of Mount Everest or eating cupcakes and donuts every single day).
Following this logic, I rather prefer Fred Dodson’s scripting technique, which I described a little earlier in my article The Energy of Money
This technique avoids the root of the problem with affirmations. It takes us far into the future; a future in which our desires are made possible, and where we in fact build this very future. We can design it, we can highlight details. Our subconscious offers no resistance – because it’s all happening in the future.
So affirmations do not work? As a rule, the answer is no. It all depends on whether our level of vibrations coincides with the level of vibrations of the goal we have set ourselves. The irony, however, is that if the levels are the same, then one can do without the affirmations. At the same time, affirmations are not a suitable tool to increase the level of vibrations.
However, affirmations can be used to attract something (someone) into our lives, if our level of vibrations is already high enough. In this case, they would have the greatest power if they are pronounced in a semi-hypnotic state of consciousness, for example, on the border of sleep and wakefulness. Or in the process of practicing yoga nidra – the technique that came from yoga and is, in fact, a technique of deep relaxation.
And thus, to change one’s level of vibrations, I recommend scripting.
